Dress for Success Sydney is a registered charity that helps women become more employable by providing professional clothing, coaching and access to career development tools as well as a network of support to help women to become financially independent. The Illawarra branch of Dress for Success Sydney was opened in Port Kembla in March 2017.
Bonnie Comber, Operations Manager, has a background in accounting, but ten years ago she took a new direction and started teaching business skills. She then went onto coordinate a youth unemployment program, which assisted long term unemployed youth into the workforce. Bonnie finds this line of work very fulfilling, “ I enjoy coming to work every day and working with the most lovely and deserving women. Every day is different, and so rewarding to be able to help local women to take steps to achieve economic independence.”
Alongside Bonnie, Dress for Success Illawarra is reliant on a fabulous team of volunteers. The team come together from various backgrounds and industries, including health care, law, business and retail. This allows them to bring a wide range of skills to make sure clients are looked after and that the showroom runs smoothly.
Success stories bringing Illawarra women back to “pay it forward”
Hearing back from clients with news of their career progress is satisfying for the team. “We are very proud of how far they have come since working with us. Many of our clients continue to use our services on a regular basis to help them secure and maintain employment. We provide them with job search support, interview coaching, resume writing services and professional wardrobe styling so that they can make a positive impression on potential employers.”
“Furthermore, we provide access to financial literacy and life skills sessions enabling women to better manage their finances and overall well being. All this could only be achieved with the help of our beautiful volunteers who are at the very core of all of our operations. It is particularly satisfying to find out that many of our clients have successfully remained in long-term positions and more importantly have found economic independence and are keen to “pay it forward” so to speak by advocating and volunteering with us”.
Strengthening the Illawarra community as a whole
Dress for Success Illawarra is proud to see the impact that they have had, not only in individual lives but in wider society as well. By investing in women, they are creating an environment for better economic outcomes and stronger communities for us all. They are committed to continuing to provide accessible services free of charge so that more women can unlock their potential and create better futures for themselves and their families.
Dress for Success’ services and programs are completely free for women. Transgender and non-binary individuals, comfortable in women’s spaces, are warmly welcomed. Their mission is to empower women and provide them with the tools they need to thrive in their career.
What resources are available for women trying to enter or return to the workforce?
They have a wide variety of clothing donations that come from individual supporters, which allow them to offer our clients an array of stylish clothing options at any price range – from high-end designer labels all the way down to everyday basics. “We believe that every woman deserves the opportunity to feel confident and stylish in her professional attire – no matter what her financial situation may be.”
Dress for Success (DFS) hosts several workshops every week via the DFS Career Hub; a digital portal that enables female-identifying job seekers to access a practical and holistic range of support services, digitally, anytime, from anywhere in Australia. The portal enables women to build skills, confidence, and knowledge to enter or re‑enter the workforce with access to workshops, one-on-one job preparation services and essential career resources.
If you’d like to become a Member – it’s free! https://dfscareerhub.org.au
Empower Hour: Donating one hour’s wages to support women’s financial independence.
Dress for Success is currently running its annual International Women’s Day (IWD) campaign, Empower Hour, which is a powerful initiative that seeks to bring attention to the disparity issues facing women in Australia and raise money to help more women into work. The campaign encourages people to donate one hour of pay in March to help a woman overcome the barriers of unemployment and achieve financial independence. Funds raised will provide women with access to services such as professional attire, career development training and networking opportunities.
Empower Hour has been highly successful over the years, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Dress for Success initiatives. This International Women’s Day, 8 March, Dress for Success is on a mission to empower more than 700 women to face their job search with the confidence, clothing, and tools to get hired. The success of Empower Hour has shown that every single donation can make a huge impact on the lives of women in need. We hope that this year their supporters will continue to join them in supercharging fundraising efforts and helping more women into employment through Empower Hour!
The average full time employee works around 2000 hours a year. If you donate just one hour’s worth of your pay to this great cause, you are investing in someone’s future, because when women work and are financially independent, their families thrive, communities prosper and the whole economy benefits.
Women are disproportionately affected by the downturn in the Australian economy. In the last year alone, the gender pay gap has widened by a further 6%. The rise in the cost of living is expected to hit women the hardest. Dress for Success and the fantastic work they do is more important than ever. If you would like to get involved, you can donate here.
https://www.dfss.org.au/fundraisers/Dressforsuccessillawarra/empower-hour
If you would like to access the services provided by Dress for Success Illawarra, you can contact them via this link or call the Illawarra branch on 0473 875 338. They are available for dressing appointments in their Wentworth St showroom in Port Kembla on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. More information is available on their Facebook page.
Dress for Success also accepts new or “as new” women’s clothing items and accessories as donations. If you’re in the mood to give your wardrobe a clean out and you’ve got some things that are in great condition, be sure to pass them on. You know that they will be put to good use helping empower women in their pursuit of future employment.
